With incoming weather approaching later in the day on Friday, the afternoon doubleheader for Wayne State College baseball was moved up an hour to conclude a four-game conference series.
Back at the Pete Chapman Complex for a second straight day, WSC battled Bemidji State among their NSIC home opener.
Wayne State College picked up wins of 6-3 and 19-1 winning their fifth and sixth straight on the season. WSC is now 9-8 (5-3 NSIC) while Bemidji State fell to 1-13 (0-8 NSIC) dropping their 13th straight.
In the first game, it was Bemidji State jumping ahead 2-0 after the top of the first inning.
Following a scoreless second, WSC started to chip away with a single run in the bottom of the third from junior Casey Prychak who scored on a double-play followed by two more runs in the fourth to lead 3-2. Junior Braden Cannon posted a sac-fly scoring senior Taylor Gill as senior Quinn McCaffery scored on a throwing error.
The Beavers tied the game back up at 3-3 thanks to one run in the top of the fifth.
Wayne State College would answer back with a run in the next half inning where sophomore Max Heard recorded a sac-fly scoring senior Chase Douglas.
WSC then put up two insurance runs in the sixth. Redshirt freshman Connor Hunt drove in McCafferty and senior Kaden Young.
Final favored Wayne State College winning 6-3 and outhitting Bemidji State, 8-7 while committing zero errors compared to a pair of errors by the Beavers.
Chase Douglas singled twice, doubled and scored; Connor Hunt singled twice and drove in two runs as Casey Prychak doubled and scored.
Quinn McCafferty singled and scored twice; Kaden Young singled and scored; Max Heard and Braden Cannon both accounted for a RBI as Taylor Gill scored.
Senior Eli Crnkovich (25 pitches) picked up the win in an inning and two-thirds of relief holding Bemidji State to no runs or hits while striking out and walking two batters each. Braden Cannon (25) earned his second save of the season in the final inning forcing two groundouts and a flyout while walking two batters.
Junior Clay Beaumont (84) started the opening four and a third allowing three earned runs off seven hits while striking out five batters, walking one and hitting one.
During the second game on Friday and fourth and final game of the series, a single run in the top of the second inning started scoring for Bemidji State.
Wayne State College then countered with a three-run bottom of the third inning. Douglas recorded a two-run homerun scoring Madsen as McCafferty added a sac-fly scoring Heard.
WSC continued to build their lead with another successful fourth inning scoring six runs. Prychak tripled scoring Cannon, Madsen drove in Prychak, Heard followed with a sac-fly scoring Madsen, Gill drove in Douglas as junior Nate Cunningham drove in both sophomore Brayden Chaney and McCafferty.
The Wildcats scored two more runs in the fifth from Chaney on a RBI base knock scoring Madsen as Hunt scored on a fielding error.
WSC then closed with an eight-run sixth inning. Madsen started with a sac-fly scoring Cannon; redshirt freshman Ethan Nguyen scored on a field error; Chaney drove in Stanley; Hunt, Chaney and McCafferty all crossed the plate on a wild pitch as Cunningham posted a two-run homerun scoring Young.
Final favored Wayne State College winning 19-1 and outhitting Bemidji State, 13-6 while committing zero errors compared to four by BSU.
Cam Madsen singled, doubled, drove in two runs and scored three times; Chase Douglas recorded a two-run homerun, singled and scored two total runs; Nate Cunningham also had a two-run homerun, singled with four total RBI; Quinn McCafferty doubled, drove in a run and scored twice; Max Heard doubled, drove in a run and scored as Casey Prychak tripled, drove in a run and scored. Brayden Chaney also had two singles, two RBI and two runs scored.
Taylor Gill singled and drove in a run; Braden Cannon singled and scored twice; Connor Hunt scored twice as single runs came from Blake Stanley, Kaden Young and Ethan Nguyen.
Senior and Wayne native Jacob Kneifl (23 pitches) picked up the win in two-thirds of an inning not allowing a run off of two hits while striking out two batters.
Senior Tyson Romero (65) started the opening three and a third innings allowing an earned run off three hits while striking out six batters, walking three and hitting one. Sophomore Kyler Hanson (20) worked an inning allowing one hit while walking one batter. Redshirt freshman Wayne native Brooks Kneifl (14) pitched an inning forcing two groundouts and one flyout. Junior Clement Febus (21) closed out the final inning striking out two batters and walking one.
The Wayne State College baseball team will next host Minot State on Saturday, March 22 starting at 1:30 p.m. and then again Sunday, March 23 starting at noon.
